‘Rowdy’ Roddy Piper Smacks Around Cthulhu in Short Horror Film ‘Portal to Hell’

While “Rowdy” Roddy Piper is certainly best known for his decades playing pro wrestling’s ultimate heel, horror and sci-fi fans likely know him better for his work as John Nada in the classic John Carpenter film They Live. In that film, Piper goes to battle against an alien race that has systematically infiltrated human society, although not before engaging in an epic fist fight with actor Keith David. He’s never reached those lofty heights again as a genre actor, but his latest project might just restore the “Rowdy” one to greatness.

Directed by Vivieno Caldinelli and written by Matt Watts, Portal to Hell is an upcoming short film that focuses on Jack (Piper), a mild-mannered handyman who wants nothing more than to be left alone with his books. Unfortunately, the tenants in the building he manages are constantly coming to him with new problems, thus interrupting his precious reading time.

Just when Jack thinks things can’t get any worse, he discovers that the building’s latest leak is a bit…bigger than usual. It seems that two Cthulhu worshiping tenants have opened a portal to R’lyeh in the basement, and it’s now up to our handyman hero to save the world from an apocalypse the rest of humanity doesn’t even know is coming.

Portal to Hell is slated to enter production in 2015, and is currently raising additional funds on IndieGogo for stuff like special effects and complex stunts. If things work out successfully, the plan is for Piper to star in a feature-length version of the story down the road. Here’s hoping this concept turns out as badass as it appears on paper.